Lim Bo Seng (林谋盛) Memorial

Lim Bo Seng Memorial erected in Singapore in 1954.
Located now at Esplande area.
This Pagoda was erected as a remembrance and tribute to the Singapore World War II Hero Lim Bo Seng.


Lim Bo Seng was born in 1909 at Nanan, Fujian, China.
His father, Lim Chee Gee was a wealthy Hokkien businessman.
Lim Bo Seng was his 11th child but the 1st son of the family.
He came to Singapore to study at age 16 in 1917.
In 1929, when his father passed away, he inherited the biscuits and bricks manufacturing business.
The company was known as Hock Ann & Co.
He married a Nonya woman Gan Choo Neo in the 1930.
They have 8 children, one of their daughter died at age of 2 after a fall.

Lim Bo Seng used the alias Tan Choon Lim to participate in Anti-Japanese activites.
In 1942, when Singapore's fall, he escaped to India.
He joined the Force 136 under the British resistance group.
He started to build up his strength and network.
But on 27 March 1944, he was betrayed by one of his members, Lai Teck and was thus he was caught by the Japanese Millitary.
He refused to give informations about the Force 136 and was tortured repeatedly.
He died in a prison.
Lim Bo Seng was posthumously rank as Major-General by the Chinese Nationalist Government.
His remains was reburied in MacRichie Reservoir.

"You must not grieve for me. You should take pride in my sacrifice and devote yourself to upbringing of the children. Tell them what happened to me and direct them to my footsteps."
- Extract from Lim Bo Seng's farewell letter to his wife

His wife, brought up all the seven children alone.
She died in 1979 at the age of 70 due to liver cancer.


This Pagoda is made of marble and have four bronze lions guarding around it.
It is 3.5m high.


Description of above photo :
Major General Lim Bo Seng
1909 - 1944
Major General Lim Bo Seng was born on 27th April,
1909 in Nan-An, Fukien, China. He came to Singapore
at the age of 16. After studying at Raffles
Institution and HongKong University, He inherited
his father's business in Malaya since 1937. He became
prominent in Anti-Japanese activities. When
Singapore fell in 1942, he went to Chunking and on
instructions from the Chinese government, he
joined the underground resistance section of 136
force under the supreme allied command
southeast asia. On 2nd November 1943, as commanding
officer of the Malayan Chinese Section, he landed
from a submarine at Bagan Datoh in Perak to join
the British and Chinese Officers already working
in Malaya with the Anti-Japanese forces. Later he
left the jungle to work in Ipoh. But he was
discovered and arrested by the Japanese Millitary
Police on 27th March 1944. He manfully endured
repeated tortures to which he ultimately
succumber on 29th June 1944, at the age of 35. He died
in the Batu Gajah Prison. A Martyr to the cause of
a liberated Malaya and to his loyalty to his
comrafes on 13th January 1946. He was buried with
fullmilitary honours in Singapore.
Erected by
The Lim Bo Seng Memorial Committee
29th June 1954

Cavenagh Bridge

Cavenagh Bridge (加文纳桥)
Location : Singapore River
Lenth : 79.25 metres
Width : 9.45 metres
Construction : 1868 - 1869
Designed : John Turnbull Thomson
Contractor : P&W Maclellan and Glasgow Engineers
Official opened date : 1870



Cavenagh Bridge is the oldest bridge in Singapore.
It is also the only suspension bridge.
It was originally planned to be named as Edinburgh Bridge to commemorate the first visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to Singapore.
But lastly, through the members of the Singapore Legislative Council, they decided to named it in honour of Major General William Orfeur Cavenagh - Governor of the Straits Settlements. The last appointed governor of Straits.
Cavenagh Bridge used to carries horses, rickshaws, ox carts in the past.
Now it is used as a pedestrian bridge.
The construction cost is of Straits $80,000 in 1869.
The Bridge was manufactured in Scotland.
Materials were been shipped to Singapore in knockdown form and assembled by convict labour.
Before the bridge was built, people could only cross the two districts by a detour over Elgin Bridge or by paying 1 duit (1/4 cent) for a boat ride.
In the late 1880s, Cavenagh Bridge was overcrowded and the Government hence built the Anderson Bridge.
Please click here for more informations about : Anderson Bridge

In 1987, a 5 month restoration works were done by the Public Works Department(PWD).
It cost 1.2 million and the bridge was reopended on 3 July 1987.



A 1910 police notice post which still stands at Cavenagh Bridge.
POLICE NOTICE
CAVENAGH BRIDGE
THE USE OF THIS
BRIDGE IS
PROHIBITED TO ANY
VEHICLE OF WHICH
THE LADEN WEIGHT
EXCEEDS 3 CWT. AND
TO ALL CATTLE AND HORSES
BY ORDER
CHIEF POLICE OFFICER.
















Looking across from Cavenagh Bridge, in view is the Anderson Bridge.


Kids bronze sculpture leaping into water.


Cats sculpture - The Singapore River Cats
The Kucinta Cats (Love cats/ Singapura Cats) are one of the world's smallest breeds.




Picture of Cavenagh Bridge in the 1890.


Description of photo below :
Built in 1869 to link the Civic District on the North Bank with the Commercial District on the South Bank, this is the oldest bridge along the Singapore River in its original design.
It is also the first steel suspension bridge in Singapore. Before its construction, assces between the two districts was only possible by a detour over Elgin Bridge or by paying one cent for a boat ride.

Name after Colonel (later Major General) Orfeur Cavenagh, the Governor of the Straits Settlements (1859-1867), the bridge was designed by the Public Works Department.
It was manufactured by P&W MacLellan in Scotland and the parts were shipped here and assembled by the Indian convict labour.
According to the original design, the bridge was to be raised during high tide to facilitate the assage of barges.
However, this proved to be technically impossible and it became a fixed suspension bridge.

By the late 1800s, the bridge could not withstand the browing volume of vehicular traffic and Anderson Bridge was opened in 1910 to ease the flow.
Cavenagh Bridge thus became a pedestrian bridge. A police notice put up to regulate the use of the bridge, banning heavy vehicular traffic exceeding 3 cwt (hundred weight) or 152 kilogrammes, still stands today at either end of the bridge.


Cavenagh Bridge with Fullerton Hotel in the background

Anderson Bridge

Anderson Bridge 安德逊桥
Location : Singapore River
Lenth : 70 metres
Width : 28 metres
Construction : 1908 - 1910
Contractor : Howarth Ershine Ltd (Superstructure), Westminster Construcion Co., Ltd(Bridge)
Official opened date : 12 March 1910




Anderson Bridge was built in 1910, named after Sir John Anderson (Governor of Straits Settlements) to help ceased the heavy traffic in Cavenagh Bridge.
After completion of bridge, vehicles, horse carts / ox carts were diverted from Cavenagh Bridge to Anderson Bridge.
Cavenagh Bridge was then converted to be used as a pedestrian bridge.

Scary Facts of Anderson Bridge :
Criminals heads were cut off and hung on Anderson Bridge during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in 1942-1945.
It serves as a warning to citizens to discourage them from breaking the laws.




View of Anderson Bridge from Queen Elizabeth Walk.

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
(维多利亚剧院及音乐会堂)
Address : 9 Empress Place, Singapore 179558

Building Completion date :
1862 - Town Hall
1905 - Victoria Memorial Hall
1906 - Clock Tower
1909 - Victoria Theatre


It was a nice weather Saturday afternoon and I've decided to take some pictures.
I started off from Raffles Place and walked my way to City Hall.
Along the way, I took pictures of buildings, bridges and national monuments.
I've studied history when I was in Secondary School but all was given back to the teacher...
Now I really need to go back to do more research about the country I'm living in.
I felt that I needed to know more about my own country!
There's always so much to learn about the past.
Old buildings were always in one of my interest list for photography.
I think they are all very beautiful with the age of time.
So here is my first post on Historical Places in Singapore.





In 1906, the 54-metre Clock Tower was added to the two buildings.
The Straits Trading Company donated the a clock and chimes.


Description on photo below :
1819 - 1919
This tablet to the memory of Sir Stamford Raffles.
To those foresight and genius Singapore owes its existence and prosperity was unveiled on February 6th 1919.
The 100th Anniversary of the foundation of the settlement.


Description on photo below : This statue erected on the Esplanade in the year 1887 was removed to its present site in the year 1919.


Description on photo below :
VICTORIA THEATRE & CONCERT HALL
Gazetted as a monument on 14 February 1992
Designed by J Bennett and built between 1856 - 1862,
it functioned as the Singapore Town Hall.
Its Memorial Hall and Tower, designed by RAJ Bidwell,
were added in 1905 and the clock and bells installed in 1906.
It was restored by 1970s as a concert hall.


Description on photo below :
CIVIC DISTRICT TRAIL
These two historic performance venues play a vital role in Singapore's cultural life.
The core of the Victoria Theatre (on the left) is the 1862 Town Hall.
Victoria Memorial Hall (on the right) was built as a grand gesture to the memory Queen Victoria in 1905.
Major renovations completed in 1909 included the harmonising of the facade of the older building with the new adjoining structure. The two buildings are linned by a 54-metre clock tower.

The Memorial Hall has many historic associations.
It was used as a hospital during the bombing of Singapore by the Japanese invading troops in 1941-42.
It was also the venue of Japanese war crime trials at the end of WWII in 1945.
During the 1950s, it was the venue for important political events including the inauguration of the People's Action Party on 21 November 1954.

The Hall was renovated in 1979 for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and was renamed Victoria Concert Hall.
The Theatre was renovated in the mid-1950s and again in the 1990s.




A 1915 Singapore Mutiny Memorial Tablet in Victoria Hall.
(To the memory of those who were killed during the mutiny in Singapore in February 1915)
1915 Singapore Mutiny, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, 1915 Indian Mutiny or Mutiny of the 5th Native Light Infantry.
On 15 February 1915, during the first world war, an indian army of 850 sepoys revolted, killing more than 40 British officers and local civilians. It lasted about seven days.
Trial on 23 February 1915 and lasted until 15 May 1915.
47 were executed, 64 were transported for life and 73 imprisoned between 7 to 20 years.
A public executions was at Outram Prison and was witnessed by about 15,000 people as reported by the Straits Times.